


a sunshower of newness to fall in love with

by Aiskuriimuneko



Category: Bakugan Battle Brawlers
Genre: M/M, except my dumb ass wanted to try to be uwu with these two smh, forced myself to do research by watching random gi episodes, sort of a rewrite sort of something i wrote on a whim
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-17
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-12 10:34:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29508387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aiskuriimuneko/pseuds/Aiskuriimuneko
Summary: Ren likens himself to a firefly, instinctively drawn to the brilliant glow that is Marucho Marukura.
Relationships: Ren Krawler/Marukura "Marucho" Chouji
Comments: 2
Kudos: 5





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place between episode 6, "Exposed" and episode 7, "True colors."
> 
> Mood music; "Need to Know" by Alexander Oscar & SVEA.

After a rather productive session of troubleshooting Bakugan Interspace, Marucho and Ren head up to the rooftop rose garden during their break. It is Ren’s favorite place to spend time outside of Interspace and it offers a wonderful view of the city and the everchanging sky above. Sometimes he spends hours in appreciation, basking in the richness of sunlight and losing himself in the course of stray clouds or the occasional plane that disappears into the horizon. If Marucho accompanies him, he’ll take Ren for a walk through the garden, excitedly showing him roses of every kind that grows here. At night, he and Marucho sit close and observe stars through a telescope, and Ren immerses himself easily in the magnificence of the celestial bodies and Marucho’s voice as he points out constellations.

Today he is treated to a different weather experience. It falls in droplets all around on an otherwise sunny day, making dark spots appear on the dry concrete before it grows into a light downpour. Marucho makes a dejected noise as he gathers their empty coffee mugs and runs inside for cover. He hands the mugs over to Kato and only then does he realize that Ren hasn't come in with him.

“Ren?” Marucho calls out, standing under the cover of an awning where he can still spot Ren in his line of sight. The rain is pouring down on the roses and general greenery at this point, soaking everything on the roof and Ren is no exception. His clothes are clinging to his skin and his once spiky hair is wet and plastered to his forehead. Ren looks to the cloudy sky as if he is seeking answers to a question Marucho cannot fathom, and it dawns on Marucho that Ren isn’t coming inside anytime soon. He pulls his hoodie over his head before approaching Ren.

“Are you doing okay?” Marucho asks.

“Yeah,” Ren says after a pause. “I’ve just never witnessed something like this before.”

Gundalia must not be very metrologically desirable if Ren’s reactions are any indicator, Marucho thinks sadly. He hopes that whatever Gundalia does have to offer is something Ren will proudly show to him one day. After the Neathians have been defeated.

When he looks to Ren again, Marucho sees him trying to catch water droplets on his tongue. The sight of it makes him giggle. “You’re so silly, Ren.”

Ren smiles warmly at that. “What’s this type of weather called?”

The sun continues to shine throughout the downpour. The droplets reflect the light and makes the rose garden appear lusher and more vibrant than before. Marucho returns Ren’s smile before saying, “it’s called a sunshower. Rain and sun coexisting with each other.”

Ren looks to the sky again and opens his arms out wide. He breathes in the fresh air and closes his eyes. “Sunshower. I like that name.”

The next few minutes of their break is spent in appreciation of the weather, the pitter patter of waterdrops mingling with the distant bustling of traffic below. Marucho decides to break this silence by stepping into a puddle near Ren’s feet, laughing as he got splashed before running away. He squeals when Ren follows him — no doubt wanting to retaliate — and tries to give him the slip with a quick turn through the garden maze. Marucho’s shoes slide on the wet pavement and he almost falls flat on his face when Ren’s hands shoot out to steady him. The quick jolt forwards cause his glasses to slip off and fall to the ground instead.

It leads to something unexpected. Ren picks up Marucho's glasses with the intent to hand them over when suddenly, he finds himself kneeling before Marucho as he puts them in place. It’s an effortless task and yet, his fingers linger over the curve of Marucho’s ears where the temple tips of his glasses are placed. He knows not who leaned in first but in the next moment, Ren feels Marucho’s warm lips on his. It's a strange sensation but in time he finds that he likes it. An awful lot, actually. Marucho pulls back and Ren can’t help but think that the sun and rain likewise meet in the way Marucho’s eyelashes glisten with caught water droplets and the way his eyes naturally carry the brightness of a clear blue sky. The rain is loud in his ears and they are both drenched something awful at this point, but Ren registers none of it. Except for the tingling of his lips and the need urging him on to ask, “can you do that again?”

Marucho obliges with little more than an eager nod, his smaller hands resting atop Ren’s on the sides of his face. On his lips, Ren tastes the freshness of rainwater and the lingering flavor of coffee. Part of Ren ponders if this is what freedom tastes like.

◯

“You must take me for a fool if you think I’d ever go with you. I would never leave my family for a dishonest person like you, Ren!”

Princess Fabia’s story brings doubts, betrayal and hurt to Marucho that Ren sees reflected in his eyes, no longer clear and baby blue. He remembers them vividly following his departure from the Brawlers, dark and cloudy as they were. A brewing storm with no chance of sunshine. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takes place during episode 26, "Forgiveness."

Ren finds himself alone in the desolated battlefield of Neathia.

He feels a sting of hurt in spite of himself. What right does he have to be upset about the Brawlers' decision? After all, it’s perfectly rational for them to not want him inside Neathian castle walls after everything he's done. They are right to leave him behind, and even more just was the act of getting his hopes up before they left him. Quite the bitter irony but certainly well-deserved, all things considered.

Ren finds refuge in the forest that grows nearby so Linehalt may rest after his grueling fight with Dharak. He tries not to think about where to go from here, though the easy solution would be to return home. Home to _where_ , he wonders. Gundalia is off limits to a traitor like him. The Neathians clearly don’t want him either, despite his change in allegiance. And the Brawlers. . . _Marucho_. . .

The gall he has to even _think_ Marucho would welcome him back with open arms. Had he not trusted Ren the most? And look how that turned out. Marucho and him had both nurtured and worked on Bakugan Interspace so earnestly for the sake of unity, and now it's used to kidnap children in order to expand the Gundalian forces. Ren had stepped all over Marucho’s dream (and _his_ , his mind unhelpfully supplies), all for the fleeting possibility of a life in sunlight. 

Even when he had fought against Barodius on the side of good, Linehalt’s Forbidden Power had ended up damaging one of the castle’s shield generators, making the Neathians reliant on their third and final barrier. It seems Ren is as terrible at being a good guy as he is at being bad. Princess Fabia is right not to trust him.

Ren is not sure if he even trusts himself anymore. At this point, who would?

_..ere are you? Ren!_

“Marucho,” Ren answers quietly, in the dead of the night.

* * *

“I thought you might be hungry, so I packed some food for you. There’s a little bit of everything in here.”

Ren is stunned by the cheer he hears in Marucho’s voice while he unpacks various food items from his backpack. Marucho arranges them on a blanket and hums as he places the snacks neatly and organized in a fashion that’s so true to him, that Ren’s heart aches at the sense of familiarity he associates with Marucho’s tidiness. He’s unworthy.

“Why did you return for me? After everything I’ve done?” he asks with some strain. Ren’s eyes are downcast, his hands clenched into fists.

Marucho doesn't seem to notice. Or if he has, he's decided not to let it bother him. “It’s like Dan said, all that stuff is in the past,” he explains with a smile while pouring Ren a cup of hot tea from a thermos. “What’s important now is that you’re on our side.”

 _It’s not that simple_ , Ren’s mind yells. Does Marucho not get it? Has he forgotten how deeply Ren hurt him? How he had taken everything they had worked for, their ambitions, their _dreams_ and destroyed it for the sake of Barodius? How Ren had gutted Marucho by calling their friendship a sham and twisted that knife every time they faced each other since then?

“I just. . .” Ren pauses, trying to gather his thoughts. Marucho's eyes meet Ren's when he hands out the thermos cup. They were large, curious and impossibly blue and Ren looks away, ashamed. “I don’t understand. Why?”

It’s absurdly quiet in the forest without some form of background noise from Marucho. He places the cup on the grass when Ren doesn’t make a move to take it. Marucho’s fingers curl into fists. “...you really hurt me, Ren. I’m not going to lie about that.”

 _There it is._ Ren has been waiting for this all night, though he feels little to no sense of vindication from it.

“I was angry with you for a long time but then I started to notice something. Whenever we would meet, I could tell you weren’t happy about what you were doing. The Brawlers have fought a ton of bad guys, now and in the past, and I like to think I’ve become a good judge of character,” Marucho continues, adjusting his glasses with a cheeky smile. “You were loyal to a fault but you clearly didn’t like working for Barodius. Eventually, we could all tell.”

Dan’s words from a few days ago bubble up in the depths of Ren’s memories. _For someone who’s supposed to be free, you sure look miserable._ That certainly explains why the Brawlers showed no hostility towards him after the battle earlier today. It boggles him to think, do they actually trust him after all? Well, certainly not—

“Even Princess Fabia?” he asks. “I find that hard to believe.”

Marucho rubs his nose at that, a sure tell sign of his uncertainty on a matter. Ren wonders when he became so sure of one of Marucho’s personal habits. “Well, she’s. . .not as open to trust you as the rest of us, I have to say. But I’m sure we can convince her to!” he hastily adds. “It’ll just. . .take some time, I think.”

“I see,” Ren says, brows furrowed. He can certainly understand why, he had after all spun a narrative in which the Neathians were the oppressors. That surely had to have made it difficult for Fabia to gather help when the Brawlers viewed her as an enemy because of him. Not to mention his entire race being responsible for so much devastation as of this moment—

Ren is brought out of his thoughts by the unexpected sensation of lips on his cheek. He snaps his head around quickly to see Marucho stand very close to him with a pout on his face. Despite the frankly adorable expression, Marucho seems very serious. Ren is left flabbergasted. “Don’t do that, Ren. You keep thinking about all the bad things and completely overlook all the good you’ve done. Just trust me on this. Everything will be okay.”

Ren brings a hand up to rub his cheek, warmth spread all around his face at the act. He finds it strangely hard to think period so he sticks to merely nodding his head. “I. . .if you say so.”

“Good!” Marucho smiles, nodding as well before taking his previous spot next to Ren. He offers Ren the cup of tea once more, blue eyes dancing in the dim lighting. “So, let’s have a toast to new beginnings.”

Despite any lingering reservations he may he, Ren can’t help but be affected by Marucho’s boundless optimism. He’s truly unworthy. When he takes the cup offered to him, their hands brush momentarily. They hold eye contact briefly before Ren hides his sudden bout of awkwardness behind a sip and Marucho shuffles bags around that don’t need rearranging.

The tea is pleasantly warm and Ren finishes half of it in no time with a content sigh. “Thank you, Marucho,” he says, feeling considerably better than he’s been since. . .well. Since his last sunshower, really. "You're too good to me. I only hope in time I can prove to you that I’ll never betray you again.”

The tips of Marucho's ears are red but he hides it by readjusting his glasses. “You don’t have to prove anything to me, Ren. You’ve proven yourself plenty today,” he grins. Marucho looks to his bag for an extra cup. “I know you feel terrible about what you did and that’s enough for me.”

Fabia’s distant voice cuts their budding moment in two. “Well, it’s not enough for _me_.”

◯

Princess Fabia presents him with an opportunity, a battle to determine his worth as a member of the team. Ren fights with the resolve to prove himself and Linehalt as allies of the Brawlers, to prove to the princess that his intentions are not to deceive but he quickly finds himself at a disadvantage when Linehalt’s power start to deplete. _He hasn’t recovered from using the Forbidden Power._

Fabia isn’t kind enough to overlook that and orders Aranaut to attack. Linehalt returns to ball form in seconds and lands before Ren’s feet. Ren then turns to Rubanoid for assistance, hoping perhaps with a part of Sid by his side, it will aid him in changing the tide of the fight. It seems to work for a hopeful moment until Aranaut equips his Battle Gear and swiftly takes down Rubanoid and the remaining half of Ren’s Life Gauge. Ren’s heart sinks at the sight of Rubanoid before him. He drops to his knees in anguish, clutching Rubanoid and Linehalt to his chest. 

This battle was supposed to be the beginning of his redemption. The aftermath leaves Ren with an almost crushing sense of frustration, feeling more like a failure than ever. His best is just never good enough. How can he do this to Sid who had placed his faith in him?

“Wipe your tears, soldier,” Fabia’s voice says, much closer and lacking any of her usual bite. She stands before him with an outstretched hand and a small smile. “I finally see that you’re true to your word.”

Fabia explains how she gleaned Ren's true worth through the valor and compassion he had shown during the battle. His desire to be a part of their team is genuine, and therefore he needn't be exiled despite his loss. After her explanation, Ren tries to form a response but words fail him with the realization that his efforts hadn't been in vain. When he looks to the others, he sees nothing but encouraging looks and assuring smiles. Marucho nods at him, teary-eyed but happy and well, what else is there to say? Ren dries his eyes with the back of his hand before willing himself to speak past the emotions that are clogging his throat. “Thank you, Princess.”

Fabia's smile grows as she gestures to the forest and beyond. The sun peaks out from below the horizon, chasing away the lingering traces of night. “Welcome to Neathia, Ren Krawler.”

Perhaps, he is worthy after all.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takes place in the final episode, "Destiny Revealed."

It’s the dawn of a new day on Neathia.

Reconstruction is swift in the aftermath of the final battle against Barodius. Citizens and castle knights alike are seen gathering pillars in the building efforts of businesses and homes. Despite the laborious tasks ahead, smiles and large grins are evident on each and every person, whether they are of Neathian, Gundalian or Earthling descent.

Ren reflects over everything that has happened with a fond smile of his own. It isn't too long ago that he had thought it impossible for him and Linehalt to escape from the darkness of the underground or for Gundalians and Neathians to ever reconcile and coexist in harmony. Now they are not only free from their eternal confinement, but they are also about to return to Gundalia with the resources to help it flourish and the people willing to govern its restoration. Furthermore, he has finally learned what Linehalt’s Forbidden Power is truly capable of. Funny how the darkness that Barodius and many others had claimed Linehalt possessed turned out to be the brightest and most soothing light Ren has ever laid his eyes upon. Destiny sure is peculiar in how it keeps flipping Ren’s worldviews in the most curious of ways. He wonders what that means for him and the darkness he always believed he carried within.

The allied forces are now gathered on the roof of the castle, bidding each other farewell. Ren casts his gaze to Marucho and finds him staring back. Marucho looks to the ground quickly, his thumbs twirling in a nervous manner.

“I guess this is goodbye for now,” he murmurs and Ren feels a tug on his heartstrings at the sadness he hears. “You’ll keep in touch, won’t you?”

“Of course. I’ll video-chat with you every week, and visit you whenever I find time,” Ren promises wholeheartedly. “Especially if the weather is just right.” Marucho brightens up a little at that, clearly picking up on the reference. They both reach out for a brief and courteous handshake, one that turns less comradely with every second their hands refuse to let go.

“I’ll never forget you, Marucho. I truly mean that,” Ren says quietly, his gaze soft. Marucho’s expression is bittersweet as he nods his head.

“I won’t forget you either, Ren.” he replies, just as quiet. The background chatter is ever present but for all Ren knows, it could just as well be the thunderous pitter patter of raindrops in his ears.

Ren registers an impatient _okay Ren, time to leave!_ from Zenet and decides that now should be the time to let go. However, he dares himself to act a little bold before doing so. Ren turns Marucho’s hand over and leans down to brush a kiss across his gloved knuckles, an act he hopes conveys his unquestionable devotion. When he looks to gauge Marucho’s reaction, Ren sees his face is flushed pink and he looks absolutely lost for words.

“ _Smooth_ ,” Ren hears Dan whistle. He decides to ignore any curious looks his action garners and focus entirely on the way Marucho looks ready to melt into a puddle.

“’Till we meet again,” Ren smiles warmly. He and the rest of the Gundalians wave goodbye to everyone before they're transported back to Gundalia, their images flickering briefly before disappearing entirely from Neathia.

When Ren returns to his planet and sets to work on a better tomorrow, he no longer fears for whatever darkness his future may hold. Not when Marucho’s parting smile is a form of sunlight that Ren knows he will carry with him to even the darkest of places.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> baku bs will resume shortly.


End file.
